Thursday, February 14, 2013

@HtCRU: Iconic Tees to Turn Heads Worldwide Giveaway~ 2/28

Momma Told Me: Express yourself.

The term geek is almost tantamount to 'sexy' in modern times; with this society marked by a knowledge of pop culture trivia and shelves of collectible baubles. No longer is SciFi reserved for a poorly done channel on the American teli, or extravagant feature length films. Legions of fans flock to comic conventions and LARP events to proudly declare "I am geek, here me roar!" And some of the most easily recognized icons hail from nerdy cult favorites; just try going to any major country and whispering 'Star Wars' without someone turning to offer an anecdote or engage in a friendly debate. And, more than ever, it seems these fans proudly claim any opportunity to declare their loyalty within this genre. Wars V. Trek, Who V. Holmes; though retail merchandising often leaves most die hard fans disappointed. So you can imagine my gleeful geek heart skipped when I came across an oddly named design label producing pop culture remixes with my beloved sci-fi series.

Based out of New Zealand, and with a strong nod to European cult icons, How to Carve Roast Unicorn is a curiously named brand with equally entrancing designs. Specializing in tees and hoodies, HtCRU offers high quality clothing featuring the witty designs of Barn Bocock. At first glance, many of these 'harmless' designs look like ordinary graphic tees, with stylized script and trademarked logos. However, if you take a second look you'll notice the Brand Wars: Sith Overlord design is actually a mock up of the Puma logo, and my favorite, Brand Wars: Han Solo is actually made to resemble the internationally recognized Coca Cola logo. Of course if the juxtaposition of brands colliding doesn't quite tickle your fancy, the DOCTOR navy blue tee and illustrated lettering is sure to excite any fan of the British television series. A smathering of Barn's older design work and illustrated geek culture anecdotes can also be found floating around the shop printed on 100% pre-shrunk cotton in tailored women's sizes and men's cuts.

We received His/Hers shirts paying homage to one of our favorite scifi conglomerates, Star Wars, last year. I should admit now that I had initially been excited to show off these duds, but placed the envelope in one of my 'blogging' filing cabinets and since neglected to actually open the parcel and put them on. Here's hoping this year is much less dodgy in continuity and organization :) In any case, I must say I was immediately impressed with the quality (thickness and soft texture) of these pre-shrunk tees. They were clearly a very high whole cotton blend, though the tailored fit of the woman's tee made the shirt ride a little short off of my bust. I would elect to go a size up, if using the women's styling, next time. The other half's 2x was also a bit form fitting; which would likely be a big selling point for anyone wearing an 'L' or smaller. The full figured men, as we lovingly call it, will also want to go a size upwards to allow for less clinging and better movement. Despite the tee's true fit, it was incredibly comfortable (I wear it with a tank top beneath to prevent any midriff appearances). On the sleeve of each tee is a quirky stitched in tag of the brand's 'decapitated unicorn head' logo. Certainly something to turn heads!

HtCRU is refreshingly unique intelligent apparel for the pop culture savvy. If you're the type of sci-fi connoisseur who understands all cadets who wear red on an away mission (Star Trek) never make it back, HtCRU is for you! Check out the How to Carve Roast Unicorn Blog for the latest designs from Barn, and some other daily mind-numbing snips of nirvana. The brand ships almost anywhere worldwide, making this the perfect gift for International friends and family, or simply the neatest tees never seen on land in the states. (I honestly got inquiry after inquiry about where to buy my Han-Solo tee, when wearing it to league the other night). The his/hers cuts and sizing mean you can express your brand loyalty together or duke it out for everyone to see.

What Daughter Says: HtCRU tees is a unique addition to any wardrobe and sure to turn heards, no matter what part of the world you are in!

One Momma Told ME follower will win a voucher for a free HtCRU tee of choice!

OK, Seeing as how I'm a Moriarty Fan I would have to pick the "Prince of Crime" tee as my favorite, but I will admit to also having a liking for the "earl of 221B" shirt, too. I'm thinking about buying the prints for the library :Dlas_va@hotmail DOT com

I love, love, LOVE the “Gaming T-Shirt of Epic Retro Style” tee. It would be PERFECT for my hubby, who is currently the DM for our weekly Dungeons & Dragons gaming group. He's been a gamer for most of his life, so I know he'd wear that shirt with pride.